Safety for double action trigger mechanism



Apnl 23, 1963 D. l.. KATz 3,086,310

SAFETY FOR DOUBLE ACTON TRIGGER MECHANISM Filed Dec. 14, 1960 "ll/1. x

j INVENToR. 13m/'Id L Kuz hl Patented Apr. 23, i963 3,086,310 SAFETY FR DGUBLE AC'IEQN TRGGER MECHANISM David L. Katz, Longmeadow, Mass., assigner to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Dec. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 75,8?8

2 Claims. (Cl. 4t2- 711) (Granted under Title 3S, US. Code (1952), ses. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to firearms and more particularly to safety devices for preventing accidental discharge thereof.

In those firearms having inertia-type firing pins arranged for actuation against the primer of a chambered cartridge by la pivotal hammer, which is energized and released by a double-action trigger when pulled from a normal to a firing position, the hammer spring is deenergized when the hammer is in its normal forward position. Therefore, unless safety devices are provided, it is possible for an impact on the firearm to pivot the hammer sufficiently by its inertia to discharge a chambered cartridge.

In some such firearms, one safety device is provided to prevent any pivotal displacement of the hammer and another to prevent actuation of the trigger. This, obviously, is not suited to military-type firearms because it requires actuation of two safeties before a firearm is ready to be red.

lt is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide for firearms a plunger-type safety which blocks displacement of the firing pin until the safety is actuated for release thereof by the trigger when pulled to the firing position thereof.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a safety device which is simple and rugged in construction and positive in its operation.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. l is a longitudinally cross-sectioned View of the firing mechanism of a firearm showing the hammer at rest in its forward position and the ring pin blocked against displacement by the safety;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the safety actuated by the trigger to free the firing pin and the hammer released by the trigger to strike the firing pin; p

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view Itaken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged and exploded perspective view of the firing pin and safety.

Shown in the figures is a shoulder-type firearm 12 having a breech housing 14 with a firing pin 16 longitudinally disposed therein. Firing pin 16 is actuatable against the primer of a chambered cartridge 18 by a hammer 29,., which is pivotally energized and then released to strike the firing pin by means of a double-acting trigger 22 of conventional design when the trigger is continuously pulled from a normal to a firing position. Trigger 22 is pivotally mounted on a transverse pin 24 and includes a top surface 26 which extends rearwardly of the pin and thereby is displaced upwardly when the trigger is pulled to the firing position.

A coil spring 28 is disposed in cooperation with hammer so as to be wound thereby when the hammer is swung rearwardly by trigger 22 during initial displacement thereof to the firing position. Whereby, hammer 2t) is energized for striking firing pin 16 when released from trigger Z2 during the final displacement thereof to the firing position. Spring 28 is arranged so as to be deenergized when hammer 2i) is adjacent a position for striking the rear end of firing pin 16.

Firing pin 16 is essentially cylindrical in configuration with a reduced diameter striker portion 30 at the front end and is provided with a flange 32 disposed adjacent the rear end. Flange 32 includes a semicircular portion, which extends radially from firing pin 16', and a substantially rectangular depending portion 34. Firing pin 16 is slidingly mounted in a stepped bore 35 which also receives a coil spring 36 disposed between an annular shoulder 38 in the bore and the front side of flange 32. Whereby, firing pin 16 is biased rearwardly to a retracted position wherein striker portion 30l is completely withdrawn into bore 35. Bore 35 is enlarged at the rear end by a recess 37 to slidingly accommodate flange 32 with its rectangular portion 34. Contact of the front end of iiange 32 with the front end of recess 37 limits the forward displacement of firing pin 16. The rearward displacement of ring pin 16 is limited by a lock 39 which is transversely disposed across recess 37.

With hammer spring 2S being deenergized when hammer 2;@ is adjacent the striking position thereof, an impact against firearm 12 might, through inertia, cause! sufficient pivotal displacement of the hammer to cause discharge of chambered cartridge 13. Therefore, there is provided a trigger-actuated safety iti which releasably holds firing pin 16 against displacement until trigger 22 is pulled sufficiently for release of hammer 20.

Safety i0 is of plunger type and is slidingly mounted in a vertical bore 42 which extends between recess 37 and a clearance 44 provided in breech housing 14- for trigger 22. The diameter of bore i2 is equal to the distance traveled by firing pin 16 between the retracted and forward positions thereof. More t2 is counterbored, as noted at d6, from clearance 44 to a shoulder 48.

Safety 40 includes a cylindrical head Sti having Ithe same diameter as bore 42, a stem 52 of reduced diameter and a cylindrical bearing 54 which has the same diameter as counterbore i6 so as to be slidingly received thereby. Bearing 54 is provided with a semispherical follower 56 which depends axially therefrom and which is disposed for camming contact by top surface 2e of trigger 22. Whereby, when trigger 22 is pulled from the normal to the firing position thereof, the pivotal displacement of the trigger is converted to translational displacement of safety dii. A coil spring 5S is disposed in counterbore 46 between shoulder 4S and the top side of bearing 54 to bias safety di) downwardly to a firing pin blockingposition. The downward displacement of safety 40l is limited by a stop pin di) which is transversely disposed through breech housing 14 so as to intersect bore 42 at the upper end thereof and, thereby, is contactable by the underside of head Si?. Head 5t? is held by pin 60 in recess 37 so as to be contactable, as hereinafter described, by rectangular portion 34 of flange 32 for blocking forward displacement of firing pin 16 from the retracted position thereof.

A channel 62 of T-coniiguration extends longitudinally through rectangular portion 34 to free firing pin 16 for `actuation to the forward position thereof when head 5t) and the adjacent portion of stem 52 is aligned with the channel. Channel 62 includes a rectangular aperture `dal. the cross-sectional dimensions of which are approximately the same as the silhouette of head Si) so as to be receivable thereby when in longitudinally aligned relationship. A passage 66 having the same width as lthe Adiameter of stern S2 extends between the aperture 64 and the bottom of rectangular portion 34 to provide clearance -for such stem when firing pin 16 moves relative aesaelo to safety 40 and head Si) is received by such aperture. Channel 62 and passage 64 form lip portions 68 which are contactable by head t? when safety 40A is disposed in the lower lfiring pin blocking position thereof and which are in registry with stem 52 when safety 4t) is elevated to the tiring pin release position wherein aperture 64 is in longitudinal alignment with such head. Safety 40 is actuated to the firing pin release position by the camming engagement of follower 56 with top surface 26 of trigger 22 when lthe trigger is pulled to discharge chambered cartridge 18. The relationship between follower 5'6, top surface 26, head 5d and aperture 64 is so arranged that the head is elevated into longitudinal alignment with the aperture immediately before the hammer is released by trigger 22 after being energized thereby.

Thus, firing pin t16 is `blocked at all times from being actuated against the primer of chambered cartridge 18 except when trigger 22 is manually pulled for discharge thereof. yWhen trigger 22` is pulled, top surface 26 is raised against follower S6 of safety 4t) which is elevated to the firing pin release position wherein head 50 Iis in registry with aperture 64, immediately before hammer 20 is released to strike ring pin 16. After chambered cartridge 18 is fired, hammer 2i) is positioned at rest with spring 28 deenergized so that firing pin 16 is free to be actuated by spring 36 to its rearward position. Consequently, when trigger 22 is released to return to its normal position, safety 4t) is lowered to its firing pin blocking position wherein head 50 is in blocking contact with lip portions 68.

From the Iforegoing it is clearly apparent that there is provided herein for firearms with a hammer actuated by a double-acting trigger and an inertia-type iring pin a safety device which prevents accidental action of the hammer against the firing pin, which safety device is simple in construction, positive in its functions and easy to manufacture.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised within the spirit and scope thereof and the following claims are intended to include such variations.

I claim:

1. In a firearm, the combination including a hammer pivotal between a retracted and a striking position, a spring disposed so as to be wound by said hammer during pivotal displacement thereof to the retracted position and de-energized when said hammer is adjacent the striking position, a ring pin arranged to be struck by said hammer for discharge of a chambered cartridge, a double-action trigger ldisposed for pivotal displacement between a normal and a tiring position and so as to displace said hammer from the striking tothe retracted position prior to release thereof during displacement of said `trigger to the firing position, a plunger-type safety operationally disposed between said trigger and said `firing pin for releasably blocking displacement thereof except when `said trigger is displaced sufficiently to release said hammer therefrom, said safety being disposed for vertical reciprocation normal to the longitudinal axis of said tiring pin between a firing pin blocking and a firing pin release position, a spring disposed for resiliently bia-sing said safety to the firing pin blocking position, and cooperating means operationally disposed on said safety and said trigger for, actuating said safety to the firing pin release position when said trigger is displaced suciently from the normal position thereof to release said hammer.

2. The firearm as dencd in claim l wherein said ring pin includes a flange having a longitudinally disposed` channel therethrough and a pair of lips formed thereby, and said safety includes a head disposed for registry with said channel when said safety is in the ring pin release position and for contact with said lips when said safety is in the firing pin blocking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 624,321 Fyrberg May 2, 1899 1,122,635 Pomeroy Dec. 29, 1914 2,876,576 Mulno Mar. 10, 1959 

1. IN A FIREARM, THE COMBINATION INCLUDING A HAMMER PIVOTAL BETWEEN A RETRACTED AND A STRIKING POSITION, A SPRING DISPOSED SO AS TO BE WOUND BY SAID HAMMER DURING PIVOTAL DISPLACEMENT THEREOF TO THE RETRACTED POSITION AND DE-ENERGIZED WHEN SAID HAMMER IS ADJACENT THE STRIKING POSITION, A FIRING PIN ARRANGED TO BE STRUCK BY SAID HAMMER FOR DISCHARGE OF A CHAMBERED CARTRIDGE, A DOUBLE-ACTION TRIGGER DISPOSED FOR PIVOTAL DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN A NORMAL AND A FIRING POSITION AND SO AS TO DISPLACE SAID HAMMER FROM THE STRIKING TO THE RETRACTED POSITION PRIOR TO RELEASE THEREOF DURING DISPLACEMENT OF SAID TRIGGER TO THE FIRING POSITION, A PLUNGER-TYPE SAFETY OPERATIONALLY DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID TRIGGER AND SAID FIRING PIN FOR RELEASABLY BLOCKING DISPLACEMENT THEREOF EX- 